


All Good Things Life Has to Offer

by hjertetssunnegalskap (Crazyheart)



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Femslash February, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, LLF Project, Mental Health Issues, Mutual Pining, Safe Sane and Consensual, well there's some wine in the picture but not too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 11:14:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17938658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyheart/pseuds/hjertetssunnegalskap
Summary: She hadn’t really had butterflies in her stomach since she went out with Magnus, half a lifetime ago. Magnus was sweet. But the butterflies today were for Eva.





	All Good Things Life Has to Offer

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been half written in my drawer forever. I started it out when I had a moment of writer's anxiety last year. So if you think this fic has some self-insert stuff, you're probably right, and I'm not sorry. The idea of Vilde writing stories is kinda fitting, I think, and it's now one of my headcanons, lol. 
> 
> This thing has been sort of a struggle to write, so the parallel processes here are pretty fascinating. But with some great help, some editing, love and tenderness, it has become something I'm happy to post! Thank you so much, [@ArtemesiaHime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemesiaHime/pseuds/ArtemesiaHime) for proofreading my first draft, and thank you [@strangetowns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangetowns/pseuds/strangetowns) for proofreading and beta reading!!! You have been amazing and this thing would have ended up in my drawer if I didn't get your help! 
> 
> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. 
> 
> First of all, don’t feel obliged to comment. If you don’t feel like commenting, that’s fine. I just wanna say that I invite and appreciate all kinds of feedback, including:
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>   * 👀 if I surprised you
>   * comment 👍 if you like where I’m going
>   * or whatever emoji you like, really
>   * Reader-reader interaction, that means that if you feel like commenting other comments, that’s just great!
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Vilde rushed from her car as the rain poured from the sky. It was another pitch dark, cold and dreary day in Oslo. The kind of day you could expect in winter in this part of the world.

Vilde held her bag over her head with one hand in a useless attempt to keep her hair dry, as she struggled to hold books and papers in the other. _At least it isn't snowing_ , she thought as she hurried across the wet grass and into the main building of the polyclinic. She had always longed for warmer places.

The click of her high heels sounded on the tile floor as she hurried along. She was late already. Today was the last day to get her reports submitted and she didn't want to hear all the grief she would take if she missed the deadline. Hopefully, it would only take a couple of minutes, and she could still make it on time to her 9 o'clock session with a patient.

Vilde passed a dark window where she saw a glimpse of herself and stopped. _Shit_. Her hair was a mess from the rain. It was going to make her more late but she had to fix it. If she could have remembered where she had left her umbrella it wouldn't have been so bad. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was always misplacing something these days. A sigh escaped her lips when she looked in the window. All her work had been for nothing. Her hair was hanging in wet, curly strands now, dripping water down her cheeks. She tried her best to fluff it up. It was useless. Finally, she gave up.

She stared at her own reflection in the dark window and wondered how her life had become so hectic. She never had enough time for herself anymore, and her life seemed to be out of control. It seemed that there was a constant succession of work, dinner parties, social obligations, and studying to keep up with her profession.

 _Maybe it was just the pressure of being in a new job as a psychologist_ , she thought. She knew that it took a lot of work, in the beginning, to get established in a new job. Besides being overworked, she felt somewhat out of place in the snobbish academic community she was part of. It was expected that you read a lot, and researched, and had a perfect house on the side. You were expected to join different social arrangements as well. It was exhausting. Before Vilde started to work, she had never realized the level of personal politics that existed in some academic circles.

When she was younger, she had never imagined this sort of occupation at all. Her mother suggested that she became a teacher. Noora used to joke and say she could become a lawyer. Eva said she should become a party planner. Sana said she probably would rule the world. Chris, who knew her most of all, never suggested anything.

 _Party planner. Lawyer_. Vilde didn’t know if she should be offended or pleased by her friends’ expectations. Sometimes she felt like they didn’t get her at all. They all seemed so tight as friends, too, while she was mostly on the outside. Alone.

Vilde hurried down the hall, trying to shake off her feelings. She always managed a lot on her own. When she was younger, her mother was depressed so often that she had no control over Vilde. So Vilde did what she wanted. She had one thing that always helped her when she felt too isolated. She liked to write stories. Mostly they were just silly fairy tales, but she loved it. The stories with romantic heroes and magical creatures helped her escape all her worries.

At first, she wrote them for herself, just for the fun of it, and they were just like another secret that she kept hidden. In the end, she’d become too curious about what others would think. Was this good enough to send to a magazine or something? Was it good enough to publish? So, about a week ago she shared one of her stories with Noora, feeling nervous as hell as she sent the document by email.

And she had heard no word about it since.

The anxiety that followed almost killed her. Noora could still be a little intimidating, with her coolness, idealism and journalist language. At first, Vilde worried that Noora wouldn’t read the story at all, then that she hated it. In the end, Vilde figured that had to be it; Noora hated it and didn't know how to tell her.

That was another thing. Vilde felt like her friends treated her like she was made from porcelain sometimes. If Noora hated her story, Vilde would be glad to hear it. Or maybe not _glad_ , but she would appreciate the feedback, so that she could either continue to write for herself or maybe learn how to write things better.

 _You could learn almost everything, right?_ Vilde knew she wasn't dumb, she had managed to graduate with great grades, and after high school, she was a star student at the University. It had been hard work and a long haul, but she persevered. Now she had a great job, even if it was stressful.

Vilde rushed along, trying unsuccessfully to juggle all of her books and papers. Several times she had to stop and pick up papers as they fell from the folders under her arm. She should be able to make her writing work. Shit, she  _needed_ to. Her writing was the one thing in her life that made her forget about all the stress. If it was shit, she was determined to make it better.

God, she desperately needed something to cheer her up right now. There had to be more to life than this? Between her work and her aspirations (or dreams) to become a published writer, she rarely had time for anything else. Like friends. Or romance, for that matter.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door with her shoulder, preparing for another long day.  
  
Just then, someone bumped into her. Someone pretty; the tops of her cheeks rosy from the cold or exertion or both, her mouth full and soft-looking while auburn curls peeped out from under her beanie. She smiled, her bright eyes sparkling, and Vilde’s body recognized her before her brain did. Vilde felt a rush of warmth go through her body.

 _Eva_.

"Uh, hi!” Vilde breathed. Her thoughts were spinning. _What’s Eva doing here?_

Their eyes were locked, their noses almost touching, and Vilde could feel the warmth of Eva’s breath on her lips and chin as she gave a little sigh. "Hi! Vilde!” Eva smiled.

They hugged. Eva was so warm and real, and it was as if she had materialized from Vilde’s desperate wishes for something to happen. That was just silly, of course, but for a moment, Vilde wondered if Eva was there to see her. She shook that idea away. It had to be a coincidence.

Eva’s cheek was soft and warm. Vilde became very aware of the fact that she almost was on top of Eva, pressing her against the door, and also that she had lost some of her papers. She withdrew and started to pick up some of the things that had fallen to the floor. "I’m sorry, Eva, I was just… lost in my head.”

Eva handed her the last papers and smiled again. She looked really good, in a warm dark red sweater and jeans under a big winter jacket. "Don’t worry. I’m just as much to blame. Shit, it’s good to see you, Vilde, it’s been a long time!”

 _God, yes_. It had been ages since she had seen Eva. Well, maybe not _ages_. They met pretty regularly, at least every Christmas, Easter and summer, but whenever Vilde thought about Eva, she thought of when they went to Nissen.

She stared at Eva, remembering. She recalled all the chats, laughter and late nights together. She recalled how it always felt like Eva  _saw_ her. Vilde licked her lips. It suddenly hit her that she had kissed girls back then. _She had kissed Eva._

She had filed that away as adolescent experimentation with no significance in her adult life. Yet she could still remember the feeling of excitement that she had felt kissing Eva at parties. It had happened quite a few times.

That was a long time ago, though. Vilde told herself that memories took on a life of their own over time. She should let it go.

"Are you okay?” Eva asked.

Vilde blinked, and remembered that Eva had said something and probably expected an answer, and that she was in a hurry. She looked into Eva’s shining eyes; she couldn’t look away, really. Eva had this way of looking at her that felt like she was looking right through all her defences. Vilde’s face burned and her heart beat faster and she didn’t know what to say.

"Uh, I’m fine,” she said in the end, smiling nervously. "You’re right, it’s been a long time. Really cool to see you!”

 _Oh god_. She wondered if she looked as desperate as she sounded to her own ears.

"Yeah it’s cool,” Eva grinned. “I guess the chance isn’t that small since you work here. You still work here, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I do...” Vilde was still too puzzled to know what to say next. She just blinked and clung to her papers.

"Do you have a moment, or...?”

Vilde would have loved to go with Eva right there and then. Leave all the work and the stress and spend the rest of her day with Eva. Or forever. Of course, she knew she couldn’t. "Uh… yeah, maybe later? I just have this appointment,” she said, "and, shit, I gotta run.”

Eva kept smiling. There was a warmth in her bright eyes that made Vilde dizzy. "Don’t worry, Vilde. Maybe we can get coffee later?”

Vilde answered before she had the time to think: "Yeah, I’d love that! I have time around lunch.”

“Okay, cool. Later, then.”

“Yeah, later.” Vilde threw Eva a quick smile, turned around and hurried along.

Her wet hair was still clinging to her face and neck, and her heart was beating quickly in her chest. Right now, it wasn’t the report or the upcoming session that made her heart beat quicker. Eva had turned up like an answer to all of Vilde’s prayers, and even though Vilde knew it was an irrational idea, she hoped that it meant _something_.

Sure, her feelings for Eva most likely made her see possibilities that weren’t really there, but right now she needed to believe that she had something to look forward to. If it ended up being just a coffee and a chat with Eva, so be it. That wasn’t so bad, after all. Spending time with Eva was never bad.

 

***

 

 

Just a few hours later Eva turned up outside of Vilde’s office, and they decided to have lunch and coffee at the cafe right by Vilde’s workplace. It felt good. Exciting, even. The weather had lightened up a little, but Vilde was too nervous to really notice. She had butterflies in her stomach.

She hadn’t really had butterflies in her stomach since she went out with Magnus, half a lifetime ago. Magnus was sweet. But the butterflies today were for Eva.

Vilde had known Eva for a long time now, and she’d been a very good friend. However, Vilde knew deep down that she felt more than friendly about Eva. She had felt more for ages and was almost familiar with the tug in the gut she felt every time they met. _Almost_.

Eva had been with Jonas or others for years, and Vilde had been with others as well, and her feelings for Eva had never led to anything more. It was no use. She knew that. Her feelings didn’t seem to get that. She knew it was probably silly of her to allow herself to feel like this about Eva, but she couldn’t push it away. Still, it wasn’t fair of her to dump it all on Eva. She decided to act as calmly as she could.

"So how did you end up here today?” she asked, and took a bite of her food. As she rested her eyes on Eva she noticed that some of the tension in her neck was subsiding. It was weird. Eva gave her butterflies, yeah, but she also made her feel relaxed. It was almost as if Eva had this superpower that made stress go away.

"I was just doing some research for one of our writers,” Eva explained. "He’s writing about some psychological issues and I wanted to double check if he’s describing things right.”

“Yeah, what things?”

“It was, uhm, complicated grief. I wanted to make sure that he didn’t describe it wrong.”

“Oh.” Vilde nodded, trying not to feel hurt that Eva hadn’t asked her. "I thought authors checked out stuff like this for themselves.”

Eva shrugged. "Yeah, I guess this was more a favour than anything else.”

She took a big bite of her sandwich, and for a second Vilde got lost, watching her chew and lick her fingers. _God_ , she looked hot.

Vilde knew she had to get a grip. She shook herself and took a sip of her coffee. "Still happy in the publishing world?”

"Sure, yeah,” Eva smiled. And as always, her smile made something tug inside of Vilde’s chest. "I’ve applied for a job as a teacher, though. I just feel like trying something new.”

"Yeah?”

"Yeah. Sometimes you just have to take the chance, you know?!“

"Yeah!“

They looked at each other. Eva’s word made something tug in Vilde’s gut, and she thought about her stories, and about taking chances. She bit her lip. "Maybe it’s safe for me to tell you then, without making you feel obligated to do anything about it.”

"Tell me what?”

Vilde could feel the blush rise in her cheeks. "I write a little. You know, small stories with fantasy and romance and stuff. I’m thinking about making a collection of short stories. Or maybe trying to publish something in a magazine.”

"You do?” Eva asked with wide eyes. "Why haven’t you told me? I could have helped!”

Vilde shrugged. "I just didn’t want to bother you. Or make you feel like you were obligated to help me.”

Eva blew out some air. "Silly.”

Vilde stuck her chin out. "You’re just as silly, then. You didn’t contact me about the research for that book. Instead, you asked one of my colleagues.”

Eva blushed. "Well, yeah. That was kinda a small lie.”

"It was?”

"Yeah, I wasn’t there for work. You see, I’m talking to someone. A therapist. And it’s not… It’s not something I hide. I’ve had a rough time since mom got sick and it helps to talk. But when you asked I just sorta panicked.”

Vilde swallowed. "Your mom got sick? Was it serious?”

"She had a heart attack in August. She’s fine now, but I just reacted very strongly to it. I guess I got really scared that I’d lose her.”

Vilde blinked, trying to ignore the sting of hurt she felt. _Why didn’t you tell me?_

"I know,” Eva said with a weak smile, and it was almost like she heard Vilde’s silent question. "I should have told you all. But I kinda fell apart for a moment there.”

Vilde pulled herself together. This was about Eva, not her. "Sure, yeah. I see that. I’m sorry, Eva.”

Eva took a long sip from her mug. "I am pretty good now, Vilde,” she reassured. "Mom is doing good, too. Can’t you tell me more about your writing?”

“Wait, so there’s no book on complicated grief, then?”

“Well,” Eva chuckled,”there is, but I don’t have to research a thing. Come on, Vilde, tell me. What are you writing?”

"It’s not that special,” Vilde said, shrugging. "You know, romance, and some magical elements.”

Eva smiled. "Sounds good to me.”

Vilde let out a small sigh. "I’m really insecure about it, though. I asked Noora to have a quick look the other day. But she hasn’t said a word, so. I suspect that she hates it.“

Eva raised an eyebrow. "There can be a number of reasons that Noora hasn’t read it yet.”

"I know,” Vilde sighed. "I guess I’m stressing because I know it’s not that good. I can see that much, but I can’t see how to fix it. So. I kinda need feedback so that I can make it better!”

“You’ve always been kinda pragmatic about stuff like that,” Eva smiled.

“I guess so.”

“Well, I like it.” Eva looked at her with her bright eyes, and Vilde couldn't help but meet her gaze and hold it for a moment. Something in her eyes made Vilde believe there just might be something more than her imagination between them. And it gave her a fluttering feeling in her belly.

Gosh, she needed to get a grip. She was probably being silly. She distractedly tore her napkin up, not knowing what to say next.

Eva stared at her. Then she bit her lip. "What if I look at it? I can put my professional hat on and be a little brutal. It might be a little easier for me than it is for Noora.”

Vilde hesitated. She didn’t know if it would be better or worse if Eva told her that her story was shit. But she needed to know.

"Do you really want to do that?” she asked. "You don’t mind?”

"Of course. You can just email it.”

Vilde found her story in her documents on her phone and sent it before she had the time to regret it.

"How many words is it?” Eva asked, taking another sip from her cup. Then she emptied it.

“Only about five thousand.”

Eva smiled. "Oh, I can have a quick look while you get us more coffees, then. I should be able to read it in about 10-15 minutes or so.”

 _Wow_. That was quick.

Vilde stared at Eva as she found the document on her tablet and started to read. _Right_. Sitting here watching Eva read was too nerve-wracking. It didn’t exactly help that she crushed hard on Eva, either.

Well. _Coffee_. She could find them coffee.

Vilde took her time buying them two more mugs of coffee and a couple of cookies. She automatically felt a pang of guilt, thinking about the calories, but managed to push the thought away. She needed something sweet, something to calm her nerves.

She looked around as she waited for their coffees. The place was cosy and filled with people but it was weird how everything faded away when Eva was around. Everything was about Eva, about her soft, auburn hair, her warm eyes and throaty laughter. About how she always saw Vilde, no matter what.

Before Vilde walked back to their table she allowed herself to watch Eva as she sat hunched over her tablet. She really looked beautiful. Her auburn hair was like a soft curtain hiding half her face. She pursed her lips as she was reading. In a way, she looked a lot like she did when she was younger, but being adult suited her. She looked more secure, comfortable in her own skin.

Vilde felt the urge to kiss her and dig her fingers into that soft hair, and she had to steel herself. If only Eva could like Vilde as Vilde liked her. If only they could share more than a friendship and memories of stolen kisses. Vilde knew it was kinda silly of her to pine for her friend like she did, but it wasn’t exactly easy to turn it off. She would maybe just have to live with it.

She took their coffee and cookies to the table, and Eva put her tablet down. "Good timing,” she said. “I just managed to read through it. I want to look more at it later, but I can give you some pointers already?”

She sounded very professional and focused.

Vilde sat down, blushing and feeling anxious at the same time. "Yeah,” she breathed. "That sounds good.”

"Good.” Eva took a deep breath. "This is really good, Vilde. It is. Your start is really cool and the plot is interesting. I love the magical realism. You describe the characters so well, although some have a little too much detail, perhaps?”

"Too much detail, got it.”

Eva stared at her. "Can you please note my praise and not just the things you can work on?”

Vilde swallowed. "What do you mean? I need to focus on the things that I need to change!”

Eva shook her head. "You need to appreciate what’s working, too. Because you shouldn’t mess with the things that work.”

Maybe Eva had a point. Vilde let out a breath of air and tried to relax her shoulders. "Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. So. Good plot and the characters are alright.”

"Yeah. And the magic is good. Your writing sucks me in, but I do feel like you maybe are very inspired by other writers sometimes? Like… I wish I heard more of your voice. Less Harlequin phrases, if you will.”

Vilde felt heat in her cheeks. "Right. That makes sense, actually. I have read a lot. Tried to figure out how to write things.”

"Yeah, I get that. I think a lot of writers do that. It could help to read your own writing out loud, to hear if it sounds like something you would say.”

It took a moment before Vilde realized that Eva wasn’t going to yell at her for being fake or anything like that, she was just giving her some really good advice. It was pretty amazing.

"Oh yeah, cool.”

Eva held her gaze. Her eyes shone with an emotion that Vilde couldn’t quite catch. "Yeah. So all in all, I love it, Vilde. It’s a very good story, and with some small tweaks I wouldn’t hesitate to publish it in a magazine or something like that.”

"Really?”

Eva smiled a wide smile. "Really.”

Vilde exhaled. "Thank you, she said. "I felt so nervous and horrible about it. You made me feel a lot better. You’re really good at this, Eva.”  

It was just an innocent compliment, but Vilde wondered if her admiration leaked into her voice. She felt hot, and warm in her cheeks. She shot a quick glance at Eva. Eva looked back at her and her eyes were curious, like she saw something she didn’t know how to figure out. She had a little smile on her lips. “Well, I should be good at it.” Her voice was low. “It’s my job.”

Vilde huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess it helps to be good then.”

Eva touched her arm and squeezed it lightly before she sat back again. “Just like you are good at your psychology stuff and your writing.”

Vilde’s heart started to beat faster. They were just talking, and nothing Eva said implied anything at all, but she still had a feeling that Eva was sort of… flirting with her?

Eva leaned forward. “So… I can’t get over the fact that you’re writing stories. Do you dream of becoming a full-time author, or…?”

“No, I’m not so sure about that. I like to write but I suspect that it’s not easy to earn a lot as a writer. The job I have now is safer like that.”

“Definitely,” Eva nodded. She looked closely at Vilde. “But are you happy?”

“Happy?” Vilde huffed.

“I mean, what makes you want to go to work? Do you like what you do and your co-workers and everything?”

Vilde had to think for a moment. “I think I mostly do. But it’s quite hectic. And I don’t love everything.”

“Right. Well, there are possibilities, you know. You can work part-time. Or you could just keep the writing as extra income.”

“It’s a bit early to assume that I will make money on this, isn’t it?”

Eva held her gaze, smiling a secretive smile. “Oh, you will make money on it.”

Vilde felt hot, and her face burned.

“Well. Thank you so much for helping me with the text, Eva.”

"It’s cool. I can be a little more specific later, if you wish.”

"Wow, thanks!” Vilde smiled. In a moment of excitement, she asked: "Uhm. Would you like to read for me again? Other things? I could pay you for it?”

Eva stared at her for a little while. "Nope,” she said in the end. "I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

The disappointment was like a sinking stone in Vilde’s stomach, but she tried to hide it. "Okay. No problem.”

Eva put her hand on Vilde’s arm. Her eyes were so bright and Vilde struggled to hold her gaze. "It’s just… I’d rather get to know you better instead.”

"Uh. You know me.”

"Yeah, but not like before. So I’d rather do that and not work. I mean, you can get others to look at your texts. I can even give you a name or two.”

Vilde’s pulse thundered in her ears. She stared at Eva, trying to understand what she was saying. "You really want to get to know me better?”

Eva shrugged and smiled, and she almost looked a little shy. “Vilde, can I ask you something?”

“Uh, sure?”

Eva licked her lips. “Are you seeing someone at the moment?”

"Are _you_?” Vilde deflected, as her heart raced in her chest.

"No,” Eva answered, taking a deep sip from her coffee mug. "I’m free as the wind. But I asked you. Are you seeing someone?”

"No,” Vilde admitted. "The last guy I dated dumped me.”

It almost didn’t hurt to talk about anymore.

She checked her watch and realized that her lunch break was over. _Fuck_. "Oh, shit, I gotta go.”

Eva checked her watch, too. "That guy Jon that I met this summer? In my opinion, it was a good thing that you broke up,” she remarked as they got up from their seats. "He was loud and obnoxious and kind of a prick, if I'm being honest.”

Vilde smiled a half smile, putting on her jacket. While all those things had been true, Vilde had been able to deal with him because he had the ability to make her feel special – not all the time, but enough to maybe feel like she loved him.  
  
"He was good to me,” she said, but quickly grimaced as she realized that wasn’t the whole truth. "Sometimes,” she added.  
  
Eva put on her scarf and Vilde noticed she rolled her eyes at her comment. "Vilde, when are you going to stop settling for what's just alright? You need something that's going to be good for you. Even better, you need something that will be great for you!”

"Right.”

Eva held her gaze. "You deserve all good things life has to offer, Vilde.”  
  
That sounded vaguely familiar, like something Vilde could have said herself. This rainy December day didn't seem to offer many good things though, apart from meeting Eva.

"I mean it!” Eva added. "You deserve everything.”

Vilde couldn't help but smile at Eva’s enthusiasm. She loved Eva for that reason. Eva was like a bright ball of light bouncing around and brightening up everyone and everything around her.

"Well, so do you,” Vilde said. And she couldn’t help the softness that leaked into her voice.

Still, there was that little detail nagging at the back of her mind. The reason why Jon had told her he didn't care to stay, no matter how pretty or successful she might be. In the end, his words stung more than him leaving. They lingered in her head and made her doubt everything, even herself as a woman.

Eva noticed the crease forming between her eyebrows and used her thumb to rub it out. Vilde swiped at her hand, feeling weirdly emotional. "Knock it off.”

"What's really bothering you?” Eva asked as they walked outside. She seemed a little more serious now. "You can't bullshit me, Vilde. I'm your friend.”

Outside it was getting darker already, but Vilde hardly noticed. She was embarrassed to tell Eva what it was all about. "Well, Jon, he basically suggested that I… had little to no sexual allure,” she mumbled.  
  
Eva raised a brow at her comment. "There's no way in hell that he even knows what sexual allure is.”  
  
"No. I guess not. Those are my words.” Vilde scowled. "He told me I had the sex appeal of a saltine cracker.”  
  
Eva blinked and then threw her head back and laughed. Vilde winced at her reaction and Eva stopped abruptly. "Wait, you _believe_ him?”  

Vilde looked down at her feet and nodded her head somberly.

"It's never been something I really cared much about, you know. I mean I didn't, I didn't realize it was such a big deal.”

"What do you mean? When you were with Magnus you bragged about what you did in bed all the time. It sounded like you enjoyed it back then?”

"Well, I did! I do! It’s just… I guess I wasn’t that enthusiastic about Jon. So, yeah. He's right. I know nothing and I'm terrible and, and I don't even know!”

That was when tears pressed behind her eyes. She felt Eva slip a comforting arm around her shoulders and she welcomed Eva’s embrace. She heard Eva sigh before she squeezed her hard to her side. "You’re not terrible! You can't listen to guys like that about anything, especially not sex.”

“I do have some hangups, though. Maybe I should have tried a little harder.”

“No, Vilde. That asshole should have tried harder.”

Vilde raised her head to protest but Eva placed her hand over her mouth without even looking at her.

"Stop belittling yourself.”

 _Damn_ , Eva knew Vilde too well. A small grin formed on Vilde’s lips at her friend's intuition. “Fine.”

They walked arm in arm back to her work, and Vilde felt more relaxed than she had felt in days. Weeks. She just wished they had more time, so she could have heard more about Eva and her life.

Vilde got a long hug when they stopped in front of her office. Vilde clung to Eva much longer than what was expected, but she didn’t really care. Eva smelled of warm skin and apples and her hug felt like coming home. Vilde didn’t want to let go.

"Would you like to meet up sometime?” Eva asked. Her eyes darted from Vilde’s face to her feet and back again, and she looked unusually nervous.

Vilde swallowed, feeling unusually brave. "Yeah. Or maybe you would like to have dinner with me after work?”

Eva’s smile was blinding. "Yeah, I’d love that!”

"Around six o clock?” Vilde asked. And felt more than butterflies when Eva nodded.

 _Okay_ , Vilde thought to herself as she went inside. _No biggie._ They were just going to have some dinner. They were two friends hanging out. Vilde knew that. Her feelings didn’t seem to get it at all, though. _Dinner, with Eva._ Alone. Vilde felt dizzy and short of breath, and she was certain that she would fuck up.

 _Shit_ , that couldn’t happen. She needed to chill. Vilde took a deep breath and decided that the only thing she could do right now was to dive into her work so that she could forget about this for a little while. She would have enough time to worry about the dinner later.

 

***

 

 

After work, Vilde spent about two hours obsessing over so many things. First of all - what should she wear? Was the occasion casual or more formal? Maybe a simple dress would do. This wasn’t like a date, after all. _Or was it? Oh god._ What if she fucked up? What if she spilled out all her feelings and longing to Eva and Eva didn’t feel the same at all and everything got fucked up?

Then there was no time to worry anymore.

She opened her front door at six to see Eva there, smiling wide. Eva was wearing a red dress under her coat, and a grey scarf and beanie. She looked hot. Eva always looked hot.

"Hi,” Eva said. Her eyes looked Vilde over in a way that made her want to squirm. Then she met Vilde’s gaze. "You look good.”

"I… uh…” Vilde didn’t know what to say. She was wearing just a regular black dress, but it was her favourite, the one that was cut so it showed off her waist. It felt good that Eva liked it.

"You look very cute,” Eva said, and promptly handed Vilde her coat and pulled her outside. "Now, let’s go.”

"Uhm, you too. Wait, wait, my purse,” Vilde protested, but she was silently relieved that they were on their way. That they wouldn’t keep standing there exchanging compliments. She picked up her purse and pulled on her coat and followed Eva gladly.

They took the tram to the restaurant. They both wanted to have some wine, and on the way, Eva told Vilde about her day. Vilde relaxed into her seat next to Eva and managed to forget about her nerves for a little while.

The restaurant looked like nothing special, but when they got seated the wine proved to be really really good. And the food was pretty amazing, as well. Vilde didn’t really care about the food, but the soft moans Eva gave as she tasted it made it worth it.

Vilde couldn’t help wondering what this was. Was it a date? Or just two friends eating out?

They talked about their lives and their dreams and Vilde couldn't believe how brave Eva was, taking chances and doing new things. Eva, on the other hand, seemed impressed by the things Vilde had done. Vilde admitted her secret dream of moving someplace warmer to write. Or maybe she could find a way to work less and go on longer writing holidays?

Eva told her about her dream of teaching others. Eva’s eyes were shining and Vilde couldn’t help staring back and smiling, and the whole thing was definitely starting to feel more and more like a date. Eva was something special. It was not just the fact that she was attractive, and smart, and funny. Eva just felt… right.

"So why do you wanna get to know me better, Eva?” Vilde asked, in a wave of braveness.

Eva stared at her. "Isn’t that obvious?” she asked. "We haven’t been in touch in like forever, and, well… I wanna get to know you again, you know. I wanna know what makes you tick.”

"You know that already, Eva. You’ve known me for years.”

"Well, I wanna know more.”

Vilde’s throat felt dry. She took a sip of her wine. She couldn’t let this go. Not this time.  "Why?” The question was only a whisper.

Eva smiled a slow, careful smile. "I like you, Vilde, that’s why.”

 _Right_. Did she mean that she liked Vilde or _liked_ Vilde? Was this a date after all? Was Vilde allowed to stare at Eva and her beautiful lips as she did, or should she try to behave? Eating out like this was nice, but it also was sort of a slow torture, with Eva eating and making those sweet sounds and looking at her with her shining eyes.

"What? Eva asked, interrupting Vilde’s thoughts, and Vilde realized that she had been staring at Eva for a long time. She blushed.

“Nothing. I just… that’s cool.”

That was safe to say, wasn’t it?

Eva bit her lip and smiled. "You’re kinda cute when you’re embarrassed.”

"Cute?” Vilde yelped, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

"And damn hot, as well.”

Vilde didn’t know what to say at all.

It was Eva’s turn to get red cheeks, and she looked down. "So, are we going to get dessert? Or maybe some more wine?”

It was like Eva couldn’t meet her eyes. Vilde wanted to touch her cheek, and bury her hands in her hair. The sudden want made her dizzy and restless, and she only knew that she didn’t want the night to end. "Wine,” she breathed. She needed some wine to relax and loosen her tongue.

"Okay, sounds good.” Eva frowned as she met Vilde’s stare. “Do I have something on my face, or...?”

"No, it’s just..” Vilde stuttered. "You’re so beautiful. And I like you too, you know.”

 _Wow_. The wine seemed to work well enough already. Vilde’s heart raced in her chest and her hands were clammy. _Fuck_ , she had said it.

Eva blinked. Her eyes were dark, and her cheeks were rosy. Fuck, she looked gorgeous. "Maybe we could have some wine at your place instead?”

 _Yeah_. That was a good plan. A really good plan. Vilde tried not to panic, thinking about what could happen. They were just going to have some wine; no biggie. _Right_.

“We can do that,” she muttered. Then she didn’t say anything more. She just stared at Eva. God, she wanted this to be real. She wanted to kiss Eva, and drown in her embrace, and fuck her, and… Shit. She  _r_ _eally_ needed to calm down.

Eva looked nervous at her, and swallowed. “If you don’t want to do that, I’m sorry. We can just call it the night?”

 _What?_ Vilde’s heart started beating faster immediately. _Don’t want to?_ She couldn’t help smiling, she almost wanted to laugh. “I do want to do that, Eva!”

Eva took a deep breath and smile. “You do?”

 _Oh god_ , Eva looked gorgeous. Her smile lit up her whole face. Her eyes were so warm and deep and Vilde felt like she drowned in them.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well, let’s go then!” Eva laughed.

So they did. They split the bill and left the restaurant and Vilde was like in a daze. Was this really happening?

On the tram back to Vilde’s place, there were a lot of people and they had to stand. They didn’t talk much, but the air between them seemed charged. Eva leaned in and hugged her. Kissed her cheek. It felt like teasing. Or a promise.

Vilde exhaled, wondering what the evening would bring.

 

***

 

"This evening was lovely, Vilde, and such good food!” Eva said as they walked into the living room. She seemed energetic, and if she was nervous, it didn’t show at all.

"Yeah, it was great.” Vilde pulled out a bottle of wine from her shelf and uncorked it. Her hands shivered, and her heart was beating so quickly, and so hard, that it nearly hurt. Eva seemed annoyingly calm, but Vilde desperately needed this to relax a little.

Vilde poured two glasses and pushed one towards Eva.

Eva smiled a thank you and raised her eyebrows, like a question, and something about that made Vilde shiver. She wanted to grab Eva and pull her closer, right then and there. She wanted to kiss her, and get lost in her. She wanted it so bad. _God_ , she needed to get a grip.

Vilde clenched her glass as they made their way to the sofa where they sat close to each other.

Vilde felt a little more at ease as she sat there, feeling the warmth from Eva’s body. She took a sip of wine and leaned her head on Eva’s shoulder. "In fact, the whole day has been wonderful.”

"Yeah?”

Vilde took another sip of wine and felt the warmth go through her body. "Yeah. Best date I've ever been on. Although I think that had more to do with the company than what we did.”

Eva stared at her. "Date, huh?”

_Fuck. Shit. Fuck._

Vilde blushed. "Yeah. Uhm. I mean. It felt like a date.”

It  _h_ _ad_ felt like a date. They hadn't just talked about old times and new experiences. Eva had been very attentive all evening, giving her compliments and teasing her. And Vilde hadn't managed to hold back her own admiration at all.

Eva held her gaze and smiled. "Sure did. You're quite the romantic, aren't you, Vilde?”

“Maybe.” Vilde shrugged and softly nuzzled Eva’s neck, just below her ear, and smiled when she saw Eva shiver slightly.

It was nothing more than they had done before, but it felt different. Could it be that the tension she had felt all evening was real?

She felt dizzy. Relaxed. It wasn’t wrong of her to want to be close to Eva, was it?

Eva looked at her. Took a deep breath. "Holy fuck, Vilde, you’re so hot and it’s like you don't even know it.”

Vilde swallowed, feeling heat burn in her face. "Do you mean that?”

Eva’s eyes were shining. "Of course!”

"You are the hot one,” Vilde said, clinging to her glass of wine. "You’re beautiful. And so alive. Sometimes I wanna be you. Mostly I just wanna kiss you.”

She said it. Vilde felt like she was burning up. Eva stared at her.

"Is this just the wine?” Eva asked. "Or is this like… for real?”

Vilde took a deep breath. "This is for real,” she admitted. "I like you a lot, Eva. Too much, maybe. I think I’ve liked you for a really long time. And I’m sorry if I make things awkward, saying it. But I just have to.”

Eva swallowed. "I like you a lot, too, Vilde. Really a lot.”

They sat in a charged silence together. The air surrounding them was crackling with anticipation. Vilde turned her head slightly to look at Eva and caught Eva watching her intently. Her shining eyes fixated on Vilde’s lips. Vilde ran her tongue along her bottom lip, paranoid that some wine had gathered there. She saw Eva’s chest rise and fall quickly as she caught her breath. When her eyes flickered up to meet hers the burning lust in them was undeniable, and it stirred something in Vilde.  
  
Wordlessly they closed the distance between them and their lips met in the softest embrace. The kiss was still a shock to Vilde’s lips, and made fire tingle through her whole body. Eva’s mouth was so soft and tempting against her. _Oh god._ This was really happening.

They pulled back and watched each other. The atmosphere between them became thick, making it almost difficult to breathe. Eva took charge, and Vilde was glad. Eva put their wine glasses on the table and placed both of her hands on Vilde’s shoulders. She pushed Vilde back against the sofa and situated herself between her legs. Vilde felt helpless. Her arms tangled themselves around Eva’s back, gripping onto her shoulders for dear life.

They didn't speak a word to each other as they lay like that; Eva's warmth surrounded Vilde as her body pushed against hers. Fitting to every contour perfectly.

Eva kissed her at an agonisingly slow rate, stoking the fire that was now burning through Vilde. Eva’s lips were warm and wet and made her tingle all over.  Vilde moaned and answered the kiss with an intensity that probably surprised both of them. She opened her lips hungrily and put all her longing, doubts and lust into the kiss. She kissed, licked and moaned into Eva’s mouth.

“Oh god.” Eva moaned too, and kissed her deeper. Vilde let her fingers slide into Eva’s soft hair. Eva’s hands roamed her body, running up and down her sides above her dress before making the journey down her thighs towards her knees. As if by instinct Vilde’s legs wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling Eva’s hips down to meet hers. When Eva moaned in Vilde’s mouth, any shred of self-control Vilde might have had left quickly vanished.

Vilde’s hands moved from Eva’s shoulders to the straps of her dress and with fumbling fingers began to push them down.

“Wait,” Eva mumbled. She reached back and opened her zipper. Vilde’s hands moved to Eva’s shoulders, and she began to push the material away from her shoulders. Eva lifted her mouth away from hers and looked at her questioningly, stilling Vilde’s hands. "You're sure about this?” she asked breathlessly.  
  
Vilde pulled Eva’s mouth down to hers and kissed her hard before pushing her off to finish dragging her dress off and dropping it to the floor. "Yes,” she said before sitting up to move her lips along Eva’s neck and down the soft skin between her breasts. Vilde smiled as she heard Eva draw her breathe in through her teeth.  
  
Eva pulled Vilde’s face up to hers and claimed her mouth again in a short but furious kiss, her mouth moving from Vilde’s to run along her jaw and down the column of her neck. Eva’s lips on her skin set it on fire, as they moved along her neck and shoulders and left a burning trail in their wake. Eva pulled her mouth away and looked at her with a cautious expression. "We can stop if you're not sure. I mean, I want this. I want you, but not at the expense of whatever this is…”

Vilde smiled as she sat up slightly, pushing her away a little bit. Her dress was buttoned in the front so she started to pop open the top button. She unfastened her buttons slowly, her eyes not leaving Eva’s face. "I want this. I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone.”

Her dress fell open and she heard Eva inhale as Vilde shrugged it off and dropped it to the floor. She felt weirdly brave in that moment. Eva made her feel brave. "Now you have a choice. We can stop and just chill a little. Or you can take me to bed like I know you want to.“  
  
Eva’s eyes widened.

Vilde didn't get a chance to think or say anything more, because in the next breath she was being scooped up in Eva's arms, her legs wrapped firmly around Eva’s waist, Eva’s hands gripping her ass tightly. She chuckled, but Eva mashed her lips against Vilde’s and began carrying her through the apartment.

 _Damn_ , those dancing lessons must have paid off; Eva was strong.

Vilde was thoroughly confused when Eva stopped moving and broke the kiss. "I don't know where your bedroom is,” she admitted sheepishly.

Wow, had it really been that long?

"Down the corridor, first on the left,” Vilde muttered, claiming Eva’s mouth with her own and kissing her greedily.

Vilde felt Eva moan into her mouth as she opened the bedroom door and, after taking a few more steps, deposited her down on it before crawling up and moving back between Vilde’s legs. Nipping at her bottom lip with her teeth before smoothing the soft skin with her tongue, with one hand she reached behind Vilde to unsnap the clasp of her bra and pull it off of her quickly, throwing it over her shoulder.

Eva’s head dipped down and her tongue traced the length of Vilde’s neck, her shoulders and her chest before her mouth enveloped one of Vilde’ breasts, her tongue flicking against her already tight nipple. "Aah,” Vilde sighed as her head tilted back and her body arched against the bed, pushing her against Eva. Vilde pulled Eva’s mouth back to hers, her hands dragging down Eva’s back to her bra clasp where she fumbled with it until it came undone. Eva lifted herself away just long enough to pull it off before her skin met Vilde’s. The feeling of Eva’s heated skin pushing against hers was like a revelation, making Vilde gasp against her lips. The way Vilde’s skin tingled at the contact was like nothing she’d ever felt before, and the sigh that escaped Eva’s lips told Vilde Eva felt it too.

Eva's hands ran down the length of Vilde’s sides, tracing the curve of her waist and hips until she reached the top of Vilde’s pantyhose. Wasting no time, she knelt up to better pull the thin fabric down her legs before depositing them on the floor. Eva’s eyes widened and her teeth closed over her bottom lip as she drank in the sight of Vilde in just her panties. The way she was looking at her right now made Vilde feel sexy and wanted. Not that many had ever looked at her like this before, but Vilde had never been so certain of anything in her life when she thought that she didn't want anyone to look at her like that now, other than Eva.

When Eva moved back over Vilde she had a strange smile on her face, Vilde’s trembling fingers traced her jawline and she leaned into the touch, her eyes closing. "I've thought about this a lot over the years,” she murmured, "of finally being with you.”

Eva caught Vilde’s hand in hers and placed soft kisses to each of her fingertips and finally her palm. "You were my friend, but I couldn't stop myself.”

Her words and her touch only added to the fire burning within Vilde. Eva’s hands traced the contours of Vilde’s stomach before pausing at the top of her underwear, her lips following the path her hands had just taken, leaving Vilde’s skin tingling in their wake.

Eva was just about to move further down, when Vilde froze. “Wait. Uh. Safe sex.”

Eva lifted her head and stared at her. “Huh?”

Vilde felt like an idiot, but she knew she had to say it. “You can get chlamydia from just oral sex, you know. Other things, too.”

She hoped she didn’t sound too silly. She just really didn’t want to get chlamydia. Or any STD’s, for that matter.

“Right!” Eva said. “I forgot!”

Vilde bit her lip. Did that mean that they couldn’t do this?

Her disappointment must have shown in her face because Eva smiled a slow smile. “Don’t worry. I have an idea. I guess you don’t have dental dams lying around? Do you have condoms? Or maybe some latex gloves?”

Vilde stared at her, confused. “Dental dams? Right. No, I don’t have that, or condoms. I do have some gloves. But can we really make something like that? Is that safe?”

Eva laughed. “Yeah, we can, as long as we do it right. Could you find a couple of gloves and a pair of scissors?”

“Sure!” Vilde almost ran to the bathroom and thanked herself for her obsessive tidiness when she found the gloves and scissors in just a minute.

Back in the room, Eva quickly cut off the fingers, only leaving the thumb. Then she cut it on one side so she had a square with a thumb in the middle. “You see how this can be practical, right?” she smiled, and wiggled her eyebrows.

Vilde had to laugh, too. And suddenly, the heat was back, but easier. She giggled as Eva kissed her belly downwards, pausing again at the top of her underwear. Her fingers hooked into the top of Vilde’s underwear and peeled it slowly away from her, baring her.

Then she placed the dental dam over her and let her nose run along the length of her covered pussy and placed a soft kiss just above her clit, making Vilde gasp and grasp at the bed covers. Eva murmured something inaudible against her sex. Then, like a whisper: "You smell so good.”

Vilde shivered. The dam covered her but Vilde could still feel every sensation as Eva took Vilde in her mouth and flicked her tongue against her swollen nub, causing Vilde’s hips to buck up off of the bed. Eva's hands held the dental dam in place whilst she made love to her with her mouth. Eva’s tongue swirled and probed, alternating between the soft flat of it gliding over Vilde’s intimate folds and spearing her.  
  
Vilde’s body began to climb higher and higher until it was teetering on the edge, threatening to tumble over at any second. Vilde didn't want it to end. She wanted to live in this moment forever as her toes curled. Feeling Eva moan against her was what sent Vilde over the edge. She called out her name as she came undone against her lips and gripped the bedsheets tightly. Eva lapped away gently for a moment before crawling back up Vilde’s body, kissing her stomach, breasts and chest as she went until she kissed her lips deeply and slid her tongue into Vilde’s mouth. Vilde could taste a hint of latex on Eva’s lips, and that wasn’t very sexy at all, but she could smell a hint of her orgasm as well, and it made her shudder. Eva rolled off of Vilde and pulled her tight against her chest as Vilde gathered her breath, her mind reeling at what had just happened. All those years at Nissen where she fantasised about this, shit, even after that, whenever they met up, Vilde still thought about _this_. And it was more than she ever could have wanted it to be.

"Penny for your thoughts?” Eva’s hands were tracing patterns over Vilde’s naked skin.

Vilde propped herself up on her elbow and regarded her thoughtfully until her eyes left her perfect face and took in the rest of her. Naked from the waist up, Eva was a treat to look at. A hint of abs, pert and perfect breasts, toned arms and the sexiest round hips Vilde thought she’d ever seen.

"Well, I'm mostly just appreciating this moment,” she smiled. She trailed a finger over Eva’s stomach. A shiver went through Eva, causing her muscles to tense. Vilde could feel a new pulse deep down in response. She kissed Eva and bit down on the corner of her lip. "You have an incredible body. I do have one complaint though.”

"And what is that?” Eva asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Vilde looked at her face and raised an eyebrow before cupping Eva’s sex over the material of her underwear. She gasped and looked back at her through hooded eyes.

"You're wearing far too much,” Vilde replied, her fingers walking their way down Eva’s firm stomach to her underwear where she started to pull them down. Eva needed no further encouragement to get undressed, and soon she was as naked as Vilde, with a shit-eating grin plastered across her face.

“Oh, and I think we need another one of those dental dams you made.”

Vilde had never seen anyone be so quick with a pair of scissors before. Eva handed her the dental dam, and although Vilde never had used one before, she was too curious and too excited to be nervous.  
  
As she slid down Eva’s body, pushing her so she was on her back, Vilde perched herself between her legs and let her lips trail up the inside of her thighs. The cocky grin that was on Eva’s face began to slip as her eyes stayed fixed on Vilde’s while Vilde kissed each of her thighs slowly. She felt the muscles there dance beneath her lips. She held the dental dam in place over Eva, and Eva sighed. When she reached the crook of Eva’s legs where they met her groin, Vilde’s teeth closed over the sensitive skin there and Eva moaned aloud. It tasted latex, alright. Maybe not the best taste in the world. But that moan was easily the sexiest thing Vilde had ever heard, and that was all the encouragement she needed to put her mouth on Eva.

 

***

 **  
** Vilde lay sprawled across Eva’s naked chest, the sound of Eva’s heart beating slow and even beneath her ear spreading warm contentment through her. She smiled against her skin. Eva's fingers were playing with Vilde’s hair, her other arm curled around Vilde’s shoulders and holding her close.

"I can't believe my writing crisis resulted in this,” Vilde murmured against Eva’s chest.

She felt the vibrations of Eva’s laugh through her chest, and propped her head up on the arm she had draped across Eva. Eva’s warm eyes met hers. "If I knew that was what it took, and if I knew you were writing, I would have offered to help a long time ago.”  

Vilde smiled. "Yeah, same.” She sighed. “I should tell Noora that she doesn’t have to read it.”

“You can. Maybe she wants to read it anyway.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Vilde smiled. Right now, it didn’t really matter that much.

“So. Do you think the others will find it weird?” Eva asked. “That we do this?”

Vilde thought about it for a moment. Their group of friends would maybe be influenced by this, but would it be good or bad? “Nah. I don’t think so,” she said in the end. “Chris will be a little surprised. I doubt that she has noticed that we’ve ever kissed. But she’ll be totally fine.”

Eva smiled. “Who do you think will be least surprised?”  

“Sana.”

“Yeah, definitely. Damn, she notices everything. And Noora?”

Vilde had to laugh. “I have no idea. Maybe she’ll be jealous because I have this very hot girlfriend?”

“Right.” Eva kissed her and laughed too. "So, I wonder if you’re going to follow your dream,” Eva mused. "Or are you going to keep stressing out?”

"Probably both. I always need to feel anchored in something safe.”

Eva grinned. "I’m happy I got to see you forget that anchor for a moment, then.”

Vilde huffed a laugh. "Yeah, you should feel honoured.”

"I am.”

The warmth in Eva’s eyes made it almost hard to breathe. Vilde let her fingers run over Eva’s cheek. She couldn't help it; she suddenly wondered if this was too good to last. "By the way, I'd just like to point out, I never go to bed with someone on the first date,” she said, wistfully.

Eva chuckled. "You'll be pleased to know that neither do I.”

This shocked Vilde and she quirked an eyebrow. "Really?”

Eva laughed. "No, who do you take me for? And who are you trying to fool? I was there back when you dated William, remember? And Magnus!”

Vilde groaned. "I guess that was when I decided not to do that anymore. Well, not that much.”

"Right.” Eva shrugged her shoulders and kissed the tip of her nose. "So we’ve both dated and fucked others, I guess. This feels special, though.”

This admission made Vilde’s heart flutter. "Yeah. It's so weird, I think I've been comparing everyone to you and giving up when they didn't match up.”

Eva smiled at her adoringly. Vilde’s fingers began drawing loops on the soft skin between her breasts. "What time are you at work tomorrow?“ she asked quietly, not wanting Eva to leave.

"Half past seven in the morning. But it means I can leave at a decent time and take you out to dinner, if you don't have plans?”

"I don't have plans. You can stay here again if you like. I have to do some paperwork on Saturday.” Vilde rolled her eyes at the paperwork. Inside she felt heavy in her chest at the thought of having to spend time apart from Eva.

Eva kissed her forehead and looked thoughtful for a moment. "This may be presumptuous but I want to be with you and I want this to work.”

Vilde’s heart started to race again. "Yeah?”

"Yeah. I know that we both have busy work schedules but I'd be happy to spend as many nights as I can like this.”

Eva squeezed Vilde to her tightly, and Vilde felt kinda silly but she still swooned at her words. “You know,” she muttered, as she played with Eva’s hair between her fingers. “mom always uses this weird expression: ‘You can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which hand is fullest`.”

“What the fuck?” Eva laughed, staring at her with wide eyes. “That’s pretty fucking pessimistic!”

“Yeah, she always talks about things ending. It’s pretty depressing, really. Which shouldn’t be a surprise.” Vilde smiled a crooked smile but knew that Eva could see through it.

Eva held her gaze for a moment. “Do you think she’s right? That everything ends? Should I be worried that you’re talking about this right now?”

Vilde shook her head. “No. I mean, thing ends, yeah, sure. Things change, but that doesn’t have to be bad. Sometimes it’s better to just take a chance and see what happens.”

Eva smiled a slow smile. “True. So what are you saying? Are we trying this for real? You and me? No games? Just girlfriends?”

Vilde swallowed thickly. “Yeah. I would like that. Girlfriends.”

They stared at each other, smiling. Then Eva leaned in and nuzzled her nose before she gave her a soft kiss.

Vilde could get used to this. She wished they could stay like this forever. “Did you mean it?” she asked, staring into Eva’s eyes. “Did you mean that you wish you could spend as many nights as this as possible?”

“Of course! We’re both busy, but I would love that.”

Well, maybe that could be arranged. “Same here,” Vilde muttered. In a moment of spontaneous thought, she gave Eva a quick peck on the lips and jumped up off of the bed and quickly walked out of the room naked. Taking the spare keys to the apartment out of the cupboard in the hall, she went back into her room and knelt on the bed with Eva. "Say no if you want, but you may as well have these,” she said before thrusting the keys into her hand. "It isn't a marriage proposal and I'm not asking you to move in, but nights when you're staying here and working late or starting early or whatever you can come and go as you please.”

Vilde held her breath whilst she waited for Eva’s response, her eyes glued to Eva’s face as she gauged her reaction. Eva’s eyes were wide and her jaw slack as she looked from Vilde to the key and back again.

"Shit,” Vilde said, feeling the stab of disappointment and the sting of rejection as Eva continued to sit there mute. "Just forget it. Sorry. I wasn't think –”

Eva cut Vilde off by pressing her lips to hers. Vilde had to hold back a moan. Eva’s lips were so warm and soft, they made her tingle all over.

When Eva pulled back her eyes were bright and her face had a heartstopping smile stretched across it. "Shut up, I love it. Thank you. I... er… I don't have a spare key,” she admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck.  "But I'll get one cut tomorrow after work.”

Vilde’s heart raced in her chest. "So, does this mean we're, I don't know... a couple?” she stammered out, feeling her face go redder with every word.

Eva giggled and clutched her chest and swooned dramatically. "Oh, Vilde, your eloquent way with words makes my heart flutter. Such an irresistible proposition one finds hard to refuse.”

Vilde shoved her playfully and crossed her arms against her chest, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. This display of indignance just made Eva laugh louder. Eva wrapped her arms around Vilde’s neck and pulled her back down to the bed with her. "You're such a loser, but I'd be happy to call you my loser. Yeah, we're a couple, baby. It's kinda adorable you had to ask.”

Vilde couldn’t hold her smile back. Eva kissed her head, her cheeks, her nose and her lips before drawing the covers up and over them. Her arms wrapped protectively around Vilde and Vilde snuggled against her chest and sighed. "You're a pain in the ass,” she murmured. Her limbs were getting heavy and her eyes seemed to shut by themselves.

"And you're a fucking romantic. Now go to sleep. Some of us have to work in the morning.”

Vilde placed her fingers over Eva’s lips to silence her, her eyelids feeling heavy. Eva laughed softly against them before kissing the tip of Vilde’s nose gently. Vilde felt slumber taking over her body, and her last conscious thought was that this day brought some very good things indeed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Btw you can find me on Tumblr as [hjertetssunnegalskap1](https://hjertetssunnegalskap1.tumblr.com/) and on Instagram as [hjertetssunnegalskap](https://www.instagram.com/hjertetssunnegalskap/)


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